Peace in the Difficult Times

I was recently speaking wth a friend about some stressful situations I had encountered through my work over the past years. It was refreshing to speak of the stress in the past tense, rather than present.

Looking back, I’m greatful for the stressful experiences. However, at the time, it felt like more than I could bear. Perhaps you can relate.

In speaking with my friend, I brought up  the fact that God has used those expereinces to shape my thinking to be more dependent upon Him. More specifically, He used Philippians 4:6-7 to chisel away at my tendencies toward self-reliance and pride.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The first statement is bold: “Do not be anxious about anything.” Left to itself, that would be impossible in a fallen world. However, Scripture continues to give us the “how” in the next statement.

The only way to cast off anxiety is to cast it onto Christ through prayer and supplication. In my experience, God was using stressful situations to bolster my prayer life into a robust, meaningful relationship. One of the most powerful pieces of this passage is the phrase, “with thanksgiving.” Although it seems like the least possible reaction to stress, it turns out that thanksgiving becomes a form of changing your mind (ie. the concept behind repentance) from pity to praise. I have found that in my most difficult times, God uses thanksgiving in my prayers as a sort of relational “ice breaker” that melts my stubborn heart. Then, and only then, should I proceed to “let my requests be made known to God.”

At that point, the Bible chages gears and shows us a beautiful promise:
And the peace of God… will guard you hearts and minds.” That is exactly what my stressed out, overwhelmed, depressed soul needed: a peace that I could not provide for myslef. Yes, the peace of God -not just provided as a passing whim or momentary inspiration, but as a gaurd for my heart and mind! That means not only will God give me peace, but he will gaurd me from being overwhelmed again.

This is the kind of peace that the Bible describes as “surpassing all understanding.” Its a peace outside of ourselves that conquers all fears, anxieties, pressures, frustrations, and dissapointments.

Finally, these verses point out the source of this great peace: Jesus. He is, as Ephesians 2:14 states, our peace who has broken down every wall. His peace begins with a satisfaction of God’s wrath on our behalf (Rom. 5:8) and as a result makes possible a peace that undergirds our most difficult situations in this life.

Just as He calmed the waters by speaking, “Peace, be still,” so too can He still the turbulent waters of you heart. Ultimately, however, there is a greater purpose to the peace: that we would be drawn even more to worship the One of whom we may wonder, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” (Matthew 8:27).

Snow Day Reflections

It was a snow day. School was out and the office was closed.

Bryce and his buddy from down the street were busy playing in his room. I was just settling into the second chapter of a good book when I heard whispering.

“Don’t tell my dad what we did.”

Classic six-year-old mistake, right?

First, a lack of auditory volume awareness.

Second, mistaken belief that I wouldn’t notice the icicles he and his friend smuggled into the house.

As soon as I looked up from my book, he knew I was on to him. Fortunately, I am a dad of great mercy (and a sense of humor)!

Parenting is always a great reminder of how God relates to His children. More specifically, parenting is a great reminder of how unaware and deceived we can be before God.

How many times do I have conversations with my friends under the assumption that the Heavenly Father is not listening? How often do I act as if the His eyes do not see me?

Perhaps the greater question is, how often do I rejoice that my Heavenly Father is full of mercy!

More Than Forgiveness

I love the way John Stott describes the great exchange we have in Christ.

“When we are united to Christ a mysterious exchange takes place: he took our curse, so that we may receive his blessing; he became sin with our sin, so that we may become righteous with his righteousness.” (Stott: The Cross of Christ)

In short, Christ takes our sin and gives us His righteousness.

Why is this important? Because forgiveness of sin is not enough to be reconciled to God.

If all we had was forgiveness of sin, (the negative taken away), would there be anything positive in us (righteousness) to please God? Consider Romans 5:19:

For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

Praise God that the last line doesn’t say, “so by the one man’s (Christ’s) obedience the many will be made morally neutral!

The beauty of justification is found not only in Christ’s forgiveness of Sin, but also in His imputation of righteousness. In this way, the Father sees me through the righteousness of Christ –pleasing to Him –not by my merit, but solely upon Christ’s!

Because imputation of righteousness is a part of justification (see Romans 5:17), there is no possibility of being saved without being made righteous. They two work together.

So why bring it up? Because we are prone, in our thanksgiving for forgiveness, to ignore the gift of our righteousness. It would be like a parent replacing a child’s worn out bicycle with a new bicycle. If the child went on and on about how glad he was that “the old piece of junk” was gone, but never rejoiced over the new bike, we would all assume the child didn’t understand the magnitude of the action.

In the same way, to rejoice over forgiveness and never contemplate the weight of righteousness should cause us to think we’ve missed something –something tremendously beautiful!

So today, take time to rejoice that you are:

“Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne.”

Practice Public Prayer

Growing up in Church, I remember questioning the need for public prayer. After all, didn’t Jesus tell us to go into our closets to pray? And what about His critique of the Pharisees who loved to stand and pray loudly for show?

It turns out, however, that Jesus is not against public prayers –He’s simply against arrogant prayers. Jesus is actually a proponent, and participant in public prayers.

In John 11, Jesus visits Mary and Martha who are grieving the death of their brother, Lazarus. Before Lazarus from the dead, Jesus stops to pray –and he begins with an interesting sentence: “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”

Jesus recognized the power of public prayer. No doubt, Jesus also valued private prayer –He practiced it often. But here, He states a specific reason for praying in public. Namely, on account of the faith of those around Him.

I remember on the evening before my wife passed away, my good friend Doris prayed out loud in the hospital waiting room. What an encouragement to my faith and the faith of my friends as she literally plead with God on my wife’s behalf.

Maybe you have the opportunity to encourage someone’s faith today by simply saying, “may I pray for you right now?” Don’t miss that moment. Don’t just offer the obligatory, “I’ll be praying for you.” Pray for them right then, right there. Pray in public.

11 Signs of a Monster Pastor

In a previous post, I wrote about “monster churches” in reference to congregations that chew up and spit out pastors on a regular basis. Monster churches are highly dysfunctional and rarely fruitful.

The congregation, however, is not always the problem. Just as monster churches are a factory of discord, monster pastors take trouble with them wherever they go.

Nicknames for monster pastors include: dictator, authoritarian, and control freak.

Biblically speaking, they may be false teachers, greedy for selfish gain, deceitful workmen, and ravenous wolves. They specialize in hijacking congregations then abusing power.

Monster pastors have little regard for the sheep (or the Chief Shepherd for that matter). Instead, their first priority is self, masked by other agendas. Such pastors may use pressure tactics, political maneuvering, and/or persuasive speech in order to manipulate a congregation into acting on their behalf. When they don’t get their way, monster pastors usually 1) move on to another church, 2) cause a stir in their current church, and/or 3) blame the congregation for not following their lead. Simply put, monster pastors are building their own kingdom rather than Christ’s kingdom.

As a general rule, monster pastors:

  • Are always right and never wrong.
  • Cannot accept criticism without becoming defensive.
  • Are not willing to share the pulpit.
  • Do not support other ministries.
  • Overly use the personal pronoun, “I.”
  • Resist accountability.
  • Feels threatened by former pastors.
  • Surround themselves with “yes men” rather than edifying leaders.
  • Do not entrust ministry to other leaders.
  • Undermine programs that they cannot control.
  • Insist that everything in the church run through them.

Rarely do you see a monster church matched with a monster pastor. Why? I think they can sniff each other out. Just like a bully rarely picks on another bully, choosing instead to prey upon the weak. Many times, monster pastors leave behind congregations with empty bank accounts, warring factions, and a tarnished reputation.

Like a codependent spouse, abused churches typically continue to hire abusive pastors. The best thing that these churches can do is to stop and evaluate their situation before hiring another pastor (Read this post to learn more).

If your church is in this predicament, consider bringing in a trusted interim pastor with a strong track record of long, peaceful pastorates. Ask the interim to help the congregation address problems and patterns that have wrecked havoc in the past. Spend time creating a plan to move forward and a strategy for selecting a new pastor. Consider investigating candidates before interviewing them. Look for red flags such as a pattern of short-lived pastorates and a history of conflict. Take seriously the qualifications for a pastor found in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1.

The ministry in which I serve, DiscipleGuide, has a heart for helping struggling churches. Our church solutions ministry provides personal assessment, coaching, and consulting services. If we can be of help to your congregation, feel free to contact us at [email protected].

15 Questions to Ask Before Starting Small Groups

This conversation takes place in countless homes every week:

Bill: Honey, are we going to small group again tonight?

Joan: I know it feels like a waste of time some weeks, but I feel like we need to stay committed.

Bill: I understand what you mean, but the lack of focus week after week drives me crazy. Do you think anyone has a clue what we are trying to accomplish there? Do you even think our group leader knows?

Joan: I’m sure it’s to love God and learn more about Jesus, right?

Bill: Yeah, yeah, yeah, but what are we specifically trying to accomplish? Is there a goal? I just hate spending time on something with no purpose or plan. I feel like we are just meeting for the sake of meeting.

Is it possible that people in your church are having a similar conversation? Have you had that conversation?

Someone once said that “failing to plan is planning to fail.” That is especially true when it comes to planning a church’s small group ministry. It is ridiculous to expect people to commit to something that has not been well organized, clearly defined, or purposefully planned.

There are dozens of decisions that must be made when planning small groups. Here are 15 to get you started:

  • Will our groups be open (outward focus), closed (inward focus), or a hybrid?
  • Do we have a stated purpose and goals for our groups?
  • Will we organize groups by geographic region, topical study, strategic assignment, or participant choice?
  • Will all groups study the same subject or different subjects?
  • Will group study be sermon based, workbook based, or other?
  • Do you have a community learning philosophy to shape your approach?
  • How often will your groups meet?
  • Which day will the groups meet?
  • Will all groups meet on the same day/time or different days/times?
  • Will groups be expected to participate in projects outside of the group meeting time?
  • How will leaders be trained, equipped, and supported?
  • How will new leaders be recruited, evaluated, and developed?
  • Do you have a multiplication strategy? If so, how will it be communicated to leaders and particpants?
  • Will groups be considered required for members, optional for members, or expected for members?
  • How will the groups fit into the discipleship and outreach strategy of the church?
  • Are you facilitating small groups because there is a stated need to be addressed, a purpose to achieve, or because it is a popular trend?

Good Vibrations

Hit any key on a piano and more than one string vibrates. For instance, if you hit middle c, all of the other c’s on the piano vibrate slightly because they are all tuned to c. The vibrations of one stir up the vibrations of all the others.

David points out a similar idea in Psalm 133:1. “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”

The verse speaks of those who have been tuned in to God as “brothers.” When the note of dwelling together (fellowship) is played in their lives, the vibrations of faith stir one another up in a way that is good and pleasant.

Haven’t you noticed this before? When people come together with a shared passion for Christ, there is a sense of divine vibrations among them.

In contrast, when a group of people (even in a Church) come together with their own interest and agendas taking priority over Christ, there is an unsettled tension similar to a child banging on the piano with clenched fist.

No Training Manual Required

The responsibilities of parenting are enormous. Children need to learn how to tie their shoes, say “please” and “thank you,” listen to others, read, write, articulate themselves, ride a bike, drive a car, respect their elders… you get the picture.

When you stop to think about everything a child needs to learn, the task for a parent seems overwhelming. Where is the training manual? Actually, there isn’t one. That’s the amazing thing.

There is no generally accepted chart or timeline that tells you sequentially what to teach your child when. Somehow, parents just know when its time to learn how to use a fork, sit at the “big table,” and wash their hands.

Similarly, there is no “how to” guide on teaching these things. Parents just recognize opportunities for “teachable moments” as they arise. It almost seems like all of a child’s training is left to chance. But actually, the opposite is true.

The parent’s ability to train a child in life-skills is a result of generation upon generation of parenting. In other words, today’s parent knows what to do because their parent’s trained them. And they knew what to do because their parents trained them. And so on.

The power of situation-based training (see the need and respond) coupled with the power of generations of investment creates a powerful learning environment. After all, do you know any 18 year olds who can’t tie their shoes?

Discipleship is just like parenting. Many people think they must have a training manual to guide them through the discipleship process. And while such manuals may be valuable, they are not necessary. The power of teachable moments coupled with generations of discipleship that proceed you have equipped you to make disciples whether you realize it or not.

How to Kill a Ministry Idea

Few things are as difficult for churches as laying a ministry to rest. Just take a look at the weekly calendar for most churches. Nobody wants to admit defeat.

Sometimes a ministry has been fruitful for decades and has simply run its course. What an opportunity to rejoice (at a ministry funeral). Other ministries may have been doomed from the beginning –as if, from inception, they were placed on “ministry death watch.”

One cause for such impending demise may be an unwise approach to starting and sustaining ministries in the first place. Many churches make critical mistakes when introducing new ministries to the congregation. Usually, they happen in the following order (perhaps you are familiar with some, or all, of these):

One person gets excited about a ministry. This is a good thing, unless it remains that way.

The person excited about the ministry doesn’t take the time to make sure others are equally excited. There is a difference between informing people about a ministry and securing buy-in for a ministry. For instance, if a pastor wants to see his new evangelism ministry succeed, he needs to do more than share the idea. He also needs to gauge the enthusiasm (buy-in) of critical leaders. To do otherwise would be like a professional truck driver pulling out of a parking lot without checking to make sure he was connected to his trailer. New ministries often fail because they “take off” without a good connection to leadership.

Leadership is not shared. It stands to reason that if nobody else is buying-in to the new ministry, there probably won’t be any leaders helping lead. Usually, however, the lack of shared leadership has nothing to do with a lack of enthusiastic people and more to do with a leader who doesn’t want to share his “baby.” Collaboration and delegation are very difficult. Sometimes they even complicate and elongate the issue. Many natural leaders succumb to their desire to “do it right myself” and “get it knocked out” as soon as possible. Later, these same leaders find themselves asking “why won’t anyone help me with this?”

Participation begins to wane. The longevity of a ministry cannot be judged by the initial sign-up list. Often, people will participate simply because they are asked and/or manipulated. But when the initial buzz wears off, only the people who have bought into the ministry will remain.

Leaders panic. When participation falls, leaders begin to question why. Some even take it personally. This is a phase in which objectivity is crucial. Unfortunately, the people who address this issue the most often are the least objective regarding the ministry. Although potentially painful, leaders must be willing to bring in people with no “skin in the game” for help appraising the situation. This may be another leader in house, an outside party, or even someone who has left the ministry in question. If you don’t define reality accurately at this point, you cannot expect to exercise wisdom in the matter.

Leaders burn out. If the leader neglects to seek objective feedback from others, he or she may determine to increase their efforts. This mentality says, “If I’ll work harder, this will succeed.” While this may be true, there is another possibility: If you have failed a little with your present effort, you may fail more with greater effort. This is the kind of stubbornness that can lead to burnout and disaster.

The leader and/or church become hesitant to try anything else that is new. Many great ministry ideas have been found dead on arrival because of a past memory of failure. People become shy about investing time, energy, and resources into something that could possibly fail and leave them as disheartened as before.

So what should a leader do?

1)    Cultivate your relationship with Christ. I believe that God loves to work through those who seek Him regularly –not just when they have a great idea. Many leaders have an idea and then bathe it in prayer. Why not root yourself in prayer and then see what God grows from a deeper relationship with Him?

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand (Psalm 19:21).

2)    Seek wisdom. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not against bathing ideas in prayer. I just happen to think that God’s rain nourishes the ideas God has planted better than the plans we plant alone.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him (James 1:5).

3)    Embrace humility. Don’t suffocate an idea with pride. Be willing to honestly assess ideas and issues with biblical discernment. Do not be afraid to ask for objective feedback from others. Remember, people will only be candid in an environment that is friendly to constructive criticism.

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger (James 1:19).

Perhaps, by more careful consideration and planning, we can see more fruit in our ministries and less funerals!

Where Does Your Stone Lie?

Looking back, I have felt sorry for the trouble we caused James Holliman. He was our Jr. Boys Sunday school teacher. My friends and I were typical rowdy kids who couldn’t sit still. We were loud, obnoxious, disobedient, and disruptive every Sunday.

Yet, Mr. Holliman never lost his cool with us. He would calmly stop in the middle of the lesson and remind us to sit and listen. Then, he would continue teaching the Bible to us.

Although he probably thought we weren’t listening, it is funny how many times I recall things today that he taught us thirty years ago. In fact, many times, the seeds of Scripture he planted in my young mind now bear fruit when I’m preparing a sermon or writing Bible Study material.

A part of my life and ministry now rests on the ministry of Mr. Holliman and others like him. I’m sure you have several “Mr. Holliman’s” in your life who have supported, encouraged, taught, and influenced you in Christ. We all need each other. That’s why the local church is so important.

Within a congregation, God provides mutual disciple-makers who build into one another’s lives. We all have needs and we all have things to offer. And, for the believer, there is no other entity that has been ordained with the same value, role, and necessity than the local church. Only of the church did Jesus say, “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

Of course, he said those words to Peter, whose name interestingly means, “rock.” Over the centuries there has been great confusion upon what Jesus meant with that statement. Was Christ saying that the church was built upon the rock of Peter? While a lesson in the original languages would be one way to clear this matter up, an easier approach would be to ask Peter what he understood Jesus to mean.

Fortunately, Peter takes up the theme in one of his letters to a young church saying, “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (II Peter 2:4-5).

Peter starts off speaking of Christ as “a living stone.” We know He is talking about Christ because he goes on to explain that this livings stone was “rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious.” Later, in verses 6-7, Peter refers to Jesus as the “chief cornerstone,” which is a reference to an Old Testament messianic prophesy of Christ in Isaiah 28:16.

Peter was not confused as to whom the church was built upon. Christ Jesus is the standard bearer of the church. He sets the agenda as the chief cornerstone because He purchased the church with His blood. Further, He loves and rules the church with mercy and grace.

But Peter doesn’t stop there. He goes on to tell his readers that “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house.” Did you catch that? First, Peter says Jesus is the living stone, then, he says that believers are like living stones. Perhaps Peter is using the same wordplay that Christ used with Him in Matthew 16:18 when He said, “you are Peter (rock), and on this rock (Jesus) I will build my church.”

This isn’t the only time Scripture refers to Jesus and believers using the same terminology. For instance, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world,” then told His listeners, “You are the light of the world.” Further, the Bible explains that Jesus is the “Lamb who was slain” and we are His “sheep.”

The point is that a relationship with Christ always conforms us to His image. We become more like Him. In this way, members of a local church are representing the work of Christ to each other and the world. And, as his spiritual body, the church embodies His ministry on earth during his bodily absence.

This is where active participation in a local church becomes vital. Peter says that all of us as living stones are being “built up as a spiritual house.” According to this word picture, we all have a place where our lives are built into one another –like stones in a rock wall. Just as your life rests on the ministry of others before you, you have an opportunity to touch the lives of those around you.

But what does that look like in the life of church members? Peter explains that we are being built together in order to be a “holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Here we find one more example of where the Bible refers to believers with the same terminology as it uses to refer to Christ. Hebrews refers to Jesus as the “Great High Priest” (Hebrews 4:14-16). Similarly, Peter refers to believers as a “holy priesthood.”

The idea behind a priest is to be an intermediary between two parties. In the Old Testament, priests are introduced as God’s chosen ministers to go between God and man. Among many of their duties, the priests would make regular sacrifices on behalf of the people.

The Hebrew writer explains that as the “great high priest,” Jesus made the perfect sacrifice (of His life) once and for all. Or, in the words of Christ, “It is finished.”

That means that the priesthood we are given as believers does not make atonement for sin in the way that Christ’s perfect sacrifice did. Rather, our priesthood is a responsibility to go between God and man with the message of the Gospel. In the same way that the Old Testament priests foreshadowed the coming sacrifice of Christ, we now look back and proclaim His sacrifice.

We do this as we proclaim the gospel to the lost. But we also do this as we proclaim it to one another. We never outgrow the gospel. It is the power of the cross which conforms us to Christ as living stones and holy priests in His service. Or, as Peter explains, “to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Here are a few takeaways:

Jesus is the foundation of the Church: He sets the agenda and direction through His Word. We cannot usurp His authority. Does your church submit to His Lordship or man’s philosophies?

We have a responsibility to participate in the local Church: We are created in Christ for this role to represent Him through His body. Everyone has a stone to place in the structure –we all have something to offer. And, like any structure built with stone, if you remove one or two stones, the structure is weakened. Are you actively investing in your Church?

Our role and responsibility is centered on the gospel: Our message and ministry must never draw upon any other source but the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Does your life, and the life of your church, flow exclusively out of the gospel message or some other motivating factor?